Monday, August 3, 2026
12 PM
Award-winning pianist Dr. Xiao Chen is actively engaged as both a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, China, and Europe. Her performances have been praised internationally; New York Concert Review praised her, stating that “she has a strong interest in communicating, and that urge is apparent in performances of expressiveness and purposefulness,” while Shanghai Youth Daily said, “her energetic and breathtaking performance impressed the audience.” Her concerts have been frequently broadcast live on radio stations, including Classical KUSC FM 91.5 and Classical KING FM 98.1. She has regularly appeared as a soloist with orchestras and performed solo recitals in major concert series.
Dr. Chen served as a Lecturer in Piano Performance at UCLA and has taught at Mount Saint Mary’s University. She is currently Music Director of the Irvine Conservatory of Music and Founder and Artistic Director of the Irvine Conservatory International Music Competition. As an educator, she has also been invited to present lectures and performances as a guest professor at universities. Many of Dr. Chen’s students have received prizes in international competitions and have been accepted into leading music schools and university music departments, including UCLA, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine.
Dr. Chen earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Language and Literature from Bard College, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from UCLA.
Dr. Chen’s solo piano album Kaleidoscope is available on major platforms, including Naxos, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify. For more information about Dr. XIAO CHEN, please visit xiaochenpianist.com.
Free concerts at noon every Monday year-round . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk, and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:50 a.m. Seating is first-come; first-served.